Memories in the Rain
by Tia-Chan18
Summary: She ran away from being rejected. He chased her to admit feelings he didn't know he had. IchiHime
1. Her Memories

_Okay, so this was the **VERY** first drabble I wrote for IchiHime. (If some of my readers remember reading this one.) I really wanted to continue this so I thought I should actually make this drabble into a story. It won't be long either. (Maybe 4 chapters.) And I feel bad because so many people wanted me to continue this but I never did._

_So to make it fair to you guys, this will be a new story of mine! (I haven't forgotten the other stories I have.)_

_Italicize = Flashbacks  
_

* * *

The rain came down harder over the beautiful town known as Karakura. It never phased the young girl, who was running down the streets without an umbrella. It almost appeared as if she was unfazed by the cold raindrops. The young girl didn't know where she was going, nor did she care where her feet went. All she knew what that she had to keep running.

Away from the man she was in love with.

**_Kurosaki Ichigo._**

She knew that telling him was a mistake, that it would mean she would lose his friendship, but it slipped out of her mouth before her brain could even tell her to stop.

"_I can't believe I actually told him."_

She knew that falling in love with him could be a big mistake. But she would never regret doing it. Falling in love with Kurosaki Ichigo was something that Inoue Orihime was proud of.

However, she also knew that he was in love with Rukia Kuchiki. After all, who would love someone that was weak?

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_"I-I... love you Kurosaki-kun." She gasped as she turned her gaze towards the ground. _

_It was silent between the two teens as the rain continued to pelt their umbrellas. He just stood there, eyes wide with shock, and stared down at her. He didn't know what to say. _

_"She loves me? But I don't know if I feel the same way. What do I say?" He thought, her confession running through his mind._

_She stood in silence and looked up at him with tears in her eyes. He couldn't tell if she was crying or if it was the rain instead. During the silence, she dropped her umbrella on the ground. It was still spinning around the two. She was shaking with her fists clenched at her sides. She looked back down at the ground. _

_"It's alright Kurosaki-kun. I get it. You're just being nice. Don't worry about me anymore. Good-bye." _

_With that said, she turned around and ran. She never looked back at him. She just left a very shocked Ichigo behind._

_.  
_

_.  
_

_.  
_

Orihime slowed her pace when she realized where she was. She had ended up by the same river that she had made her promise to Tatsuki before they went to the Soul Society to rescue Rukia. It was also the place that she had caught her very first red dragonfly.

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_"Look Onii-san! I caught one! I caught one!" Orihime smiled happily as she ran towards her older brother._

_"I can see that Orihime! Good job!"_

_"Isn't it pretty?"_

_"It sure is." Sora said as he looked down at his smiling sister. She looked back up at him and laughed happily._

_.  
_

_.  
_

_.  
_

A smile graced her lips. Back then, she would always be amazed at how easily Sora caught a red dragon fly on his finger. She had begged him to teach her how to catch one and she remembered how frustrated she would get because they would always run away.

It was a memory she would cherish forever.

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Ichigo was running around the neighbourhood, trying to find Orihime. He felt like such an idiot for not saying a damn thing. But he didn't know she felt that way towards him. He had never thought of girls because he was busy with everything else. Girls were the least of his worries and he didn't really feel that being in a relationship was important.

So when she had admitted her feelings, it shocked him. It was as if he was brought back to the real world where he didn't have to fight hollows or save souls. He was just a normal... boy.

If he had said he loved her back, without knowing for sure, it would've made him feel worse because he would have been lying to her face just to make her happy.

As he ran across the city, he never realized that he was still in his shinigami form due to a random hollow appearing out of nowhere. He had came across the river when he noticed the young auburn healer standing there, staring at the river.

"Inoue!" Orihime broke out of her thoughts as she turned to see Ichigo running down the hill towards her. As she turned to run, her foot slipped and she fell into the river beneath her.

During the fall, she had hit her head and saw the hint of orange hair before losing consciousness.

"INOUE!"

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It was at that moment, when he jumped into the river, that Ichigo started to see Orihime in a different light.

* * *

_**A/N: Short chapter is ... Short. I apologize. It was pretty short when I wrote it as a drabble too.. **_

_**I did edit the chapter so it matched my current writing style. And I made corrections that were needed.  
**_

_**I really should try to make longer chapters. But I will try for next time!**_

_**Next chapters will have Ichigo's memories :) Please R&R** _


	2. Protect

_**I'm sick... again. It really sucks cause I hate being sick. But meh. I can't really do much about it. Anyways, enjoy :)**_

_**Thank you to the 4 reviewers. Hopefully I get more coming in soon :)**_

**_Also, this story takes place between the SS arc and the Arrancar arc. Just so no one's confused._  
**

* * *

_"Tatsuki-chan, I don't want to tell him!"_

_"Baka! Rukia isn't here, right? Now's your chance! What if she comes back sooner than she's supposed to? I don't want to see you get hurt because you were too scared to tell him. If she's not here, what's stopping you from telling him?"_

_"What if he doesn't feel the same way? I'd rather keep my feelings a secret than lose our friendship. I treasure it too much. If I ruin it, I'll never be able to live it down! I don't want him leaving me."_

_"That's my point Orihime! You won't know until you try! Wouldn't you rather tell him than look back on this moment and think 'what if?' At least he'll know. He may not return your feelings right away because he's so dense, but it will open his eyes!"_

_Staring at her best friend, Orihime could only ponder her words. She did have a point. And Tatsuki did know Ichigo since they were children. She would know him better than anyone. _

_But why did she still feel hesitant?_

_._

_._

_._

**She was a coward. **

Why else would she have fallen into the river, not knowing she was standing so close? Why did she run from the love of her life just because he remained silent? Tatsuki did have a point; Ichigo was dense. In the time she's known him, he's never shown interest towards any girl.

Including **Rukia**.

Even if he did love her more than a friend, he wouldn't have realized it until much later. He's so busy being a shinigami. He also has school work, family, and after school clubs. He was just as busy as she was. The only difference was that she made time to think about boys...

Well.. Only Ichigo.

No other boy got her attention the way Ichigo did. Not only would it infuriate them, it would cause them to try and pick fights with Ichigo.

But why she was thinking of these things, she was unsure. After all, it didn't matter.

When death was waiting on the other side for her.

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Ichigo tried keeping his mind calm. Panicing in a crisis like this wouldn't make things any better. It would only make things worse. Having Zangetsu on his back only weighted him down, but he was determined to save Orihime.

He didn't want to lose yet another person on a rainy night.

Not when he had the power to save her.

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_His mother always picked him up from karate. After learning that Tatsuki went to the same school, he begged his mother to let him keep going to his lessons. _

_She could only chuckle at his pleading. "And why do you want to go back when Tatsuki-chan keeps beating you?"_

_He then wore a determined look. "Because I want to protect the people I care about! Including you okaa-san! No one will ever hurt you. I will get stronger! So that way I can protect you!"_

_She smiled. "Ichigo, you don't have to protect me. It's a mother's job to protect her children. Besides, you should only say that to a girl that you will find and love one day. Don't just get stronger for me. Get stronger for that one girl you will swear to protect with your life."_

_He nodded before grabbing his mother's hand._

_._

_._

_._

He finally caught up with her body. Without hesitating, he grabbed her waist and pulled her against his chest. As fast as he could, Ichigo brought his head above water, not wanting to drown from lack of air. He did his best to keep her above the water too, but the currents were going faster.

If they stayed in the water any longer, both of them would end up dying.

He wasn't sure how far down the river they had gone. All he knew was he had to get Orihime to land. She was so cold against his body. She wouldn't have long to live.

He saw a rock just ahead of them. An idea hit him and with his other hand, he pulled Zangetsu off his back. The bandages fell off and he started to spin his zanpakutou. Ichigo then threw Zangetsu, making sure to hold onto the bandage, and it had landed in the rock.

With all his strength, he began pulling himself and Orihime towards the shore. The currents were trying to keep them in the water, but Ichigo's determination and strong will kept them from going below the fierce depths.

When they reached the rock, Ichigo held onto Zangetsu's hilt as he lifted both of them out of the water. Panting, Ichigo stayed on his knees as his body began to shake. He wasn't sure if it was the cold or because he was scared of losing Orihime, but that didn't matter to him. Her face was getting whiter and she was barely breathing.

Without looking back, he began to run to his place, with the sleeping princess in his arms.

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* * *

_**A/N: I'm going to stop it here. I know, I know. Feel free to shoot me for another Cliff hanger. XD**_

_**I thought it would be a good place to end it. I wanted to add in another memory for Ichigo, but I think that memory is better suited for the next chapter.**_

_**I'll try updating once a week, or maybe more. Depending on my mood. But since I am sick again, It will mean that I will be more lazy.**_

_**Reviews are lovely :)**_


	3. Why are you sad?

**So I think I'll update this story once a week. I think that's fair. I have other stories that I'm working on, so it makes sense to spread my time evenly between all of them. I think there's only going to be 5 chapters? Maybe 6. I still haven't decided yet .**

* * *

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_"Ne, Kurosaki-kun?"_

_He gave her a small nod to show he was listening._

_"Do you miss Kuchiki-san?"_

_He looked up from the books to stare into those gorgeous grey eyes. He could never lie to them. They held some sort of mystical power over him that he wasn't willing to admit to. _

_Turning away from her gaze, he looked out the window, his eyes focused on the rain that fell from the sky. _

_"I do."_

_He turned his gaze back to the girl in front of him, a fake smile was plastered on her face. A facade, he realized. But he didn't want to tell her he saw through it. She nodded before turning her attention back to the books, unaware of the blazing gaze that was filled with confusion._

_"Why do you look so sad... Orihime?"_

_._

_._

_._

Ichigo wasn't as stupid as most people said. He knew that there was something going on between Orihime and Rukia. Though he wasn't sure of the specific details, he knew that there was some sort of tension between the two, though he felt it come from Orihime more than Rukia.

Staring down at the pale form in his arms, his determination hardened. He wasn't about to lose another person who meant the world to him.

His legs couldn't go fast enough. Even Shunpo wouldn't get him to where he wanted to go. He was rash, and desparate. Her form was getting colder and colder as the rain continued to beat down on their forms.

When her apartment came into view, he shouted to the heavens. All he wanted was to see her grey eyes open and see her bright smile. The only she only reserved for him. He knew of her true feelings, so it was time for him to figure out his.

But the first thing he had to do, was get her warm.

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_They walked together, hand in hand. He enjoyed seeing her smiling face. It shone so bright. Like a supernova, he decided. He had never seen her angry, or sad, or confused. The only expression he ever saw her wear was one of happiness. _

_He still couldn't tell the difference between ghosts and real humans. So it didn't occur to him that the young girl he saw by the riverbank was a ghost, a hollow to be specific. All he knew was that she was too close to the river, and it was raging._

_He wanted to save the young girl, before the raging river consumed her. He didn't hear the evil chuckling of the young girl. He didn't see the ugly creature being to transform._

_He didn't even hear his mother's screams. _

_They were desparate, and filled with worry and sadness. She was scared_ _because she had seen the horrible monster that was heading towards her son. But her husband wasn't around to save them. She had to save her son herself._

_Nothing registered in Ichigo's little mind except the blackness that engulfed him._

_._

_._

_._

_When he had woken up, the first thing he felt was someone on top of him. He blinked as the rain continued to fall down and hit his cheeks. He couldn't remember anything that had happened. The only thing that he remembered was running from his mother to stop a girl from falling into the river. _

_He turned his small head towards the place and didn't see anyone. Had he dreamed it? If he did, why did he feel stickiness on his hands._

_Wait.. Stickiness?_

_He lifted his hand and saw blood. His eyes widened before he bent his head down and saw the auburn hair cover his chest. He couldn't see his mother's face, and this made him scared. _

_"O..Okaa-san?" _

_But there was nothing. She didn't budge when he shook her. She didn't respond when he called her name. Tears began to fall down his face as he held her body to his small one. His screams became more louder, and frightened. _

_He fought against the hands that pulled him away from her body. He continued to scream and have a fit as his mother was put on the stretcher. He was so confused. What had happened? Why wasn't mom responding? What will dad say? _

_Eventually his body stopped fighting and he had collapsed. His fatigue body couldn't handle the stress anymore. He let himself fall into the darkness once again._

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Once he was inside her apartment, he headed to the shower. Her skin was so cold, and it was so pale. She looked as ghostly as the girl did when he was younger. But Ichigo didn't give up on Orihime. He turned the shower on hot and stood there, letting the water warm up. When he felt it go hot, he then tore off their clothes, wanting as much warmth to hit their skin. He held her against his chest so tightly, he was scared she would break.

He felt her breath on his skin and her heart beat against his chest. His breathing was coming back to normal as he calmed his racing heart.

After half an hour, he brought them from out of the shower and shunpo'd under the covers in her room. He wrapped his arms around her back and pressed her into his chest. All he wanted to do was make sure she was alive. He wouldn't be happy until he saw her grey eyes again.

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A groan had caused him to wake up from his slumber. He used one hand to wipe away the sleep from his eyes, and turned his head to the clock.

_5:45 am._

He felt shuffling and turned his gaze back to the young girl that was starting to stir from her sleep.

His heart stopped beating when his eyes met her grey ones.

.

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"Orihime..."


	4. Because She Truly Loves Him

_Hello fellow readers! I apologize for not updating any of my stories at all. I kinda went on a hiatus due to RL issues and **LACK** of inspiration. However, I found motivation for this story. I intend on finishing it. Especially since there's not many chapters left! It's almost at its end, so I'm gonna see it gets finished! But enough of my blabbering. Let's get on with my story!_

* * *

.

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**Darkness**. That's all she felt.

Like she was drowning in her own emotions, she wasn't so sure anymore.

About anything.

Whether she was dead or alive, she had no idea.

Everything seemed so vague. So unreal. So...

**_Imaginary_**.

She heard screams. Screams that held pain and anguish. Begged her to be okay. To be alive. But she wasn't so sure if she wanted to return to that voice. It would hurt her heart when she heard **that** voice. Because to her, she had been selfish.

_I forced my feelings onto Kurosaki-kun. I told him I loved him and expected an answer on the spot. I acted so childish by running away from him. From **rejection**. Why am I so weak? Why do I always depend on him to be there? Even now, I feel that I only told him to keep him with me. To make sure he wouldn't leave me behind. It's so unfair._

_To him._

_And also, to my heart._

**"_Inoue…"_**

_That voice. So deep, and full of pain. I'm sorry I had to rely on you too much. For forcing you into a position you didn't want to be in. But I want to be selfish one last time._

_I want to see your eyes and be beside you. Even if this is the last time, I want to **be** with **you**._

She struggled to open her eyes. They felt like lead. But her heart screamed, begged for her to open her eyes. Her mind finally caught up with her heart and her eyes opened slowly. Her vision was blurry until she blinked a few times.

**He **was the first thing she saw.

"Orihime."

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His eyes were wide, full of fear, desperation, even… _sadness_?

There was a hidden emotion within his depths that she couldn't comprehend. Her mind was still too hazy.

Unconsciously, her hand went to her head, gently rubbing the back. He noticed her wince when she touched her head.

"You fell into the river."

Orihime looked up from the blanket to his face, her eyes filled with confusion. He never realized just how gorgeous she was until this event.

_"But why? How could I be so dense? She was right in front of me the whole time, cheering me on. Healing me when I was in rough shape. So how was this different from all the other times?"_

That's when he realized. "_She almost __**died**__ tonight. If I hadn't saved her…."_

He stopped thinking at that moment. His breath hitched at the thought. Without thinking, he yanked her into his arms. She squeaked at the sudden movement but he didn't pay attention to the sounds she made. Rather he focused on the feeling of **her**.

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She didn't know what to think. Then again, she didn't know what happened. He said she fell in the river. But how?

"_Right, because I was trying to run away from him. Because he didn't return my feelings."_

"Orihime…"

The sound of his voice shook her from her thoughts. She looked up from his shirt into his chocolate brown eyes.

"Just stay here. With me. I don't care if I don't deserve it. I just can't stand the thought of you leaving me. Just the thought of you getting fed up with me, and walking away… It kills me!"

Her eyes were wide. Speechless, she tried finding words to say. But she came up with nothing. She could feel her heart ache just by looking into his saddened eyes.

With shaky hands, she pressed one against his chest, feeling his heart beat underneath her fingertips. She was still trying to process what he had spoken. Trying to figure out if it was merely out of sympathy or if he truly meant it.

But that's when she realized; he meant every word.

She knew he would never lie to anyone. The fire in his eyes combined with the intensity of his sadness only confirmed that fact. That's when she also came to another realization;

He was **scared**.

Much like she was, he was scared to admit to these new feelings. Of course he had never experienced them before. He was always fighting hollows and saving people's lives. He didn't have time to explore new emotions towards girls.

Especially her and Kuchiki-san.

It made her heart feel so much lighter.

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"Kurosaki-kun,"

"Ichigo."

She looked at him with a confused expression.

"Call me Ichigo, Orihime."

"I-Ichigo-kun," she blew out a breath before a smile was on her face.

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"I'll always stay with you."


	5. For You Will Always Be Mine

_**So this is the final chapter to this story! So sorry for the wait everyone! I hope this chapter satisfies you all C: I enjoyed writing this story! Also, please keep an eye out for any other stories that I plan on doing after C: Suggestions would be lovely too for drabbles/stories! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favourited/followed this story!**_

_**Without further ado, here's the last chapter C:**_

* * *

It had been a few weeks since Ichigo had saved Orihime from drowning. But to him, it felt like a lifetime. Between remembering the horrible way his mother had died and almost losing yet another precious person, he was exhausted. Not just physically.

But emotionally as well.

However, he had no one to blame but himself.

He had acted rash, not thinking of how to tell Orihime his feelings without hurting her. But he knew that it was pointless. Either way, she would've been hurt. If not by his silence, but by his own tongue. And though he hated hurting her, it seemed that was all he was good at.

He shouldn't have made her that promise if he couldn't have kept it.

And now, here he was, at his mother's grave, contemplating what he should do. Or rather, **how **to do it.

Orihime had talked to him as though nothing was wrong. She would still wave at him and yell "Good Morning Kurosaki-kun!" every morning. But he knew it wasn't her real smile. It was forced, because she didn't want anyone to know what had happened.

And so, her facade began. And it hurt him so much to know that her once radiant smile was no more.

Sighing, he ruffled his hair with his hand, standing awkwardly in front of his mom's grave. He wasn't one for talking to someone who was dead. Though he did know in his heart that his mom heard his words, there was no indication of her showing any signs that she did.

_"Mom... What should I do?"_

"Why do you look so down my boy?" You know your mother won't like seeing your ugly mug with that expression."

His eyes widened before he turned around, to see none other than his father, a goofy grin on his face.

"D-d-dad... What are you-?"

"What? Can't I come and pay respects to Masaki without being questioned? Or perhaps you feel there's a different reason for my coming here of all places."

Taking a cigarette out of his pocket, he lit the smoke before placing it to his lips. Exhaling, he turned to his son.

"Well, you'd be right on the second part. I figured you came here. You always had a habit of coming here when you were confused."

Silence reigned over the two Kurosakis. Ichigo's gaze had returned to his mother's grave. He sighed.

"Dad... Mom would be so disappointed in me right now."

Isshin's eyebrow rose. "Why would she be disappointed in you son?"

"I'm such an idiot... For hurting **her**. I don't deserve her... And yet..."

"You want her?"

Lifting his gaze to his dad's serious one, he nodded.

"Badly."

Isshin could see how sincere and honest Ichigo was. Obviously something big happened that had changed his mind about liking the girl he was talking about. He was glad his son had finally seen through the dark and opened his heart to someone else.

"You know my boy, Masaki would only be disappointed in you if you ran away from how you felt. But seeing as you're here, admitting this to me, makes it seem like you're willing to give it a try."

Ichigo blinked. Before he could ask, his father continued.

"You finally opened your heart and let someone else in. I don't know who it was, but it's clear to me son that you're ready to commit to this girl. Even if you feel that she deserves better, you're willing to make it work with her. Masaki would never be disappointed in you, Ichigo. In fact, she'd be really happy. Because at least you're **trying**."

His eyes widened. His father's words had sunk into his brain, and a warm feeling enveloped his heart. He could feel a light presence behind him, knowing very well it was his mother agreeing with his dad.

"Ichigo, if you don't want to disappoint Masaki, disappoint **me**, then fight for what you want. You're never going to get what you want if you just give up. It takes time and effort, son. There's going to be mistakes. What the important thing is, you've learned from them. Don't let any mistakes you've made go in vain Ichigo. They're there to show you the right way. Listen to what your heart says. It knows best."

Taking another puff from his cigarette, Isshin exhaled before sighing again. He looked at his son who had a smile on his face. He blinked before looking at his wife's grave.

"Thanks old man."

With that, Ichigo left a stunned Isshin behind, knowing what he had to do.

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* * *

Orihime had come home from the sewing club. Apparently, there was a huge competition a couple weeks away and they had to fully prepare. Uryu was being very kind to her, obviously not prying into her personal business. Though he probably had a vague idea of what happened between her and Ichigo, he didn't show any sign of asking about it. Which made her really grateful.

Sitting down on her couch, she felt antsy. None of her favourite shows were on, so the tv was kept off. Staring up at the ceiling, she sighed before placing herself on her back. So much had happened in the past couple weeks.

While her and Ichigo were somewhat back to normal, she still couldn't help but feel sad. Ichigo didn't act different from how he normally did. Though the memories of him holding her against his chest still burned in her mind. The way he held her so delicately, and whispered her name in sadness...

It made her cry all over again.

Flipping onto her stomach, she had buried her face in the cushion, and she began to sob. Her hands clutched at the soft fabric, as though it was his shirt. Imagining the couch was really him just holding her... Oh how she hated herself. If she had known that loving him would've been this painful, she wouldn't have fallen in love.

Or that's what she told herself.

Her heart knew the truth. She would always love Kurosaki Ichigo. No person or thing would change her mind. Did that make her a bad person?

Sighing, she tried to get a hold of herself before the sound of knocking clicked into her mind. She had no idea who it was or how long they had been knocking for, so she quickly got off her couch to answer the door.

It was Ichigo.

Her eyes widened in shock. She should've been able to sense him! So why didn't she?

"Inoue. We need to talk."

Not trusting her voice, she nodded before moving out of his way to let him in. However, Ichigo had other plans. His arms had reached out and pulled her into him. Too stunned to do anything, she stared at his shoulder, not registering the door being shut by his foot or him directing them to the middle of her living room.

"Kuro- Kurosaki-ku..."

"Inoue... I'm such an idiot."

Blinking, she looked into his face, seeing his fierce brown eyes blazing. She knew Ichigo was a serious person. And just by looking at him, she knew better than to argue or even try talking at this moment. So she just stared at him, waiting for him to continue.

Moving his hands to her shoulders, Ichigo looked at the carpet. He closed his eyes before taking a deep breath and opened them to stare her right in the face. Seeing her attention was on him, it gave him the courage he needed to explain **everything**.

**Especially** his feelings.

"I know I haven't been the best friend to you. I completely ignored your feelings, not realizing just how hard it was for you to love me. I was too focused on just my friends and being a soul reaper to even think about having a girlfriend. I've never been a normal kid. In fact, I really am a good-for-nothing-punk. Because I **hurt** you, Inoue."

He heard her gasp. Clearly she was going to disagree with him, but he continued to talk. "I promised you that I'd protect you. Yet I couldn't protect you from myself. And I feel like shit because had I known sooner, I would've recognized my own feelings. Today, I realized that I had been running away from how I felt. But I'm finally going to accept them."

The way his eyes blazed with confidence and reassurance made her heart melt.

"And hopefully... you can accept.. **mine**."

Her eyes had widened to the point where he wasn't sure if they'd pop out. She had opened her mouth then closed it at least five times.

A loud smack had been heard within the few miles of the residence.

Ichigo's eyes widened at the sight. "I-I-Inoue! Why would you smack yourself?"

She blinked before looking up at him, a smile across her face. "I wanted to make sure it wasn't a dream."

He almost fainted at the sight. _Oh how she looked so cute!_ "Inoue, I wouldn't lie about my feelings. Why would you think it wasn't real?"

"Because, I always thought Kurosaki-kun loved Kuchiki-san."

He gawked at her. "Y-y-you **thought** I l-l-loved R-R-Rukia?!" He yelled in disbelief.

She nodded "Un! You guys were so close. And she was able to help you with all your problems. It was like you two were dating.."

Shaking his head in disbelief, he replied "I only think of her as a sister. To think I would love her..." He shuddered at the thought.

She blinked before smiling. "You guys would've been a cute couple though."

Ichigo facepalmed. "Orihime, I would **never** love Rukia like that. I only love **you**! Get that thought out of your head right now! I will never love her like that. She has Renji!"

Grabbing her face, he spelled it out, "I l-o-v-e y-o-u O-r-i-h-i-m-e! You got that?!"

Giggling, she looked up at him, "Yes sir!"

Scowling, he pulled her to his lips, effectively silencing her. Orihime kissed him back, her smile never leaving her pretty face.

Pulling away, he held her close, not wanting to leave her side.

If there was one thing he learned that day, it was that his Princess needed a huge reality check.

And he was going to show her everyday just how much he loved her. And not that midget she claimed he loved more than her.


End file.
